Category: Azer News

The City of Winds has added another major international sporting event to its calendar.

This time, Baku hosted the first IRONMAN 70.3 race in Azerbaijan, with athletes swimming in the Caspian Sea, cycling through the capital and its surroundings, and running along the waterfront.

More than 1,500 athletes from 62 countries took part in the inaugural ALUFAR IRONMAN 70.3 Baku on September 5. Azerbaijan was represented by 123 athletes. The race covered about 113 kilometres in total, consisting of a 1.9-kilometre swim, a 90-kilometre bike course and a 21.1-kilometre run.

The men’s race was won by Croatia’s Matej Jukic, who finished in 4:01:20. American Maksym Kriat took second place with a time of 4:01:21.

The race began in the Caspian Sea near Bayil Burnu, with the transition area located near Flag Square and Baku Crystal Hall. From there, athletes moved on to the 90-kilometre cycling stage through Baku and surrounding areas.

The final stage brought the athletes back to the waterfront. The 21.1-kilometre run consisted of three 7-kilometre loops, passing landmarks including the Old City, State Flag Square and Baku Crystal Hall before finishing on Baku Boulevard.

The event featured 13 age categories for men and women, ranging from 18-24 to 80-84. Alongside the main race, 47 men’s, women’s and mixed relay teams competed.

The weekend programme also extended beyond the main race. The IRONMAN Village and entertainment zone on Baku Boulevard offered visitors interactive activities and a chance to experience the event atmosphere before race day.

An IRONMAN EXPO was also part of the programme, offering official IRONMAN products and sports equipment. The programme also included races and activities for younger participants and spectators.

Younger athletes took part in the IRONKIDS races, while adults could enter the 5-kilometre Fun Run. Marius Holgersen won the men’s Fun Run, followed by Javid Jafarov and Pavel Kinichev. Tatyana Zakharchenkova won the women’s race, ahead of Gracie-Rose Walters and Yaroslava Volkova.

The top 25 men and top 25 women in the main race earned qualification for the 2027 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in the United States.

The race was organized by Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Azerbaijan Triathlon Federation and Baku City Circuit Operations Company. IRONMAN announced Baku in October 2025 as the host of Azerbaijan’s first IRONMAN 70.3 race and the first IRONMAN event in the Caucasus.

The first IRONMAN 70.3 in Azerbaijan is now part of Baku’s sporting history. Athletes competed across the Caspian Sea, the city’s roads and the waterfront before reaching the finish on Baku Boulevard. The race ended with Matej Jukic taking the first men’s title, just one second ahead of Maksym Kriat.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan may visit Russia in the near future. This was announced by the press secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov in a comment to the Russian media.

According to the Kremlin spokesman, the exact date of Pashinyan’s visit has not yet been decided, but the trip is expected to take place later this year.

It was previously reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Pashinyan in Bishkek on September 1 on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit. This was the leaders’ first bilateral meeting since their talks in the Kremlin in April.

During the conversation in Bishkek, the parties, in particular, touched upon the issue of Armenia’s foreign policy. Putin and Pashinyan disagreed on whether Yerevan should put to a referendum the topic of possible accession to the European Union or the country’s further participation in the Eurasian Economic Union.

At the expanded SCO+ summit, Pashinyan became the only one among the leaders of the CIS countries who spoke in Armenian instead of Russian. Russian was spoken in Bishkek by the presidents of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Russia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan; the leaders of non-CIS countries used national languages or English.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry accused the United States of escalating tensions in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said in a social media post that Washington was trying to shift the blame onto Tehran for the instability it had created in the region.

According to Baghaei, the United States started the war but is now seeking to make the rest of the world bear the consequences.

He also noted that the Strait of Hormuz had remained open until February 28, and that shipping in the strait was suspended only after the conflict began in the region.

The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow maritime passage between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, holding significant strategic importance as approximately 20% of global oil supplies and around 25% of liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports pass through it. Essentially, it serves as an energy artery for countries in Asia, Europe, and even the United States.

The strait separates Iran from Oman, and in some areas, the width of the shipping channel is only two miles on each side. Given its critical role in global energy supply chains, ensuring the safety and security of this vital waterway is paramount for international trade and economic stability.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has sharply criticized fellow Poles who celebrated the victory of Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in elections in the state of Saxony-Anhalt.

“Only fools or traitors in Poland can be happy about AfD’s triumph in Germany,” Tusk wrote on his social media.

He noted that such people could also be found among members of the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party, as well as the Confederation coalition, which brings together nationalists and Eurosceptics.

The AfD earlier secured a landslide victory in elections to the regional parliament of Saxony-Anhalt. After all ballots were counted, the opposition right-wing party won 43.8% of the vote, while the ruling Christian Democratic Union (CDU) received 17.2%.

French Europe Minister Benjamin Haddad described the result as a “serious moment for Europe” and stressed the importance of defending democratic values and the European project.

“We must listen with humility to anger, concern and fears, and provide answers. But nationalism and xenophobia are never the solution,” Haddad added.

AI4Real Bootcamp, an intensive training program organized by ADA University with the support of Azercell, has concluded. The program gave university students the opportunity to develop practical AI skills and explore real-world applications of technology.

Following a competitive selection process, 26 students from 14 universities in Azerbaijan and abroad took part in the program.

During the training, students worked on real business cases, explored the application of AI across different industries and developed solutions to practical challenges. Sessions were led by ADA University faculty and industry experts.

Sabir Mardanov, Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer at Azercell, presented examples of AI applications in the telecommunications industry and discussed the role of technology in addressing business needs. Samir Mammadov, a lecturer at ADA University’s School of Information Technology and Engineering, along with other faculty members and invited experts, provided insights into the use of AI across different fields.

Through practical sessions and teamwork, students strengthened their knowledge of artificial intelligence and gained experience in solving complex problems and developing technological solutions.

All participants received certificates upon completion of the program. Five top-performing students were selected to participate in a hackathon to be jointly organized by Azercell and ADA University in the new academic year.

Azercell continues to support the development of AI skills and the next generation of professionals in this field, in line with the priorities of the Artificial Intelligence Strategy of the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2025-2028.

Kazakhstan’s National Bank and Binance Investments Co. have signed a memorandum of understanding to explore the development of a regional settlement hub for the Binance Group in Kazakhstan.

The planned hub will focus on international payments and money transfers, as well as transactions involving digital assets. It is expected to serve Binance’s global clients in Central Asia, the CIS and Eastern Europe.

The signing ceremony was attended by National Bank Chairman Timur Suleimenov and Binance founder Changpeng Zhao.

As part of the project, Binance plans to establish a local group entity in Kazakhstan and develop the necessary infrastructure. The organization is expected to obtain a National Bank license to operate as a first-category payment organization.

The project is expected to transfer part of Binance Group’s regional operations to Kazakhstan and enable a significant portion of clients in the region to be served through the Kazakh jurisdiction.

Binance is one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency platforms, allowing users to buy, sell, exchange and transfer digital assets.

On September 7, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin made a phone call to President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.

During the phone conversation, the heads of state discussed a number of topical issues concerning economic, trade, and humanitarian cooperation.

The Presidents agreed to further intensify bilateral relations at various levels.

Israeli investment firm Aurelius Capital and the German state of Lower Saxony have agreed to take over Volkswagen’s plant in Osnabrck and potentially convert it for defense production, Volkswagen announced on Monday.

The agreement comes just days after Volkswagen unveiled its largest-ever restructuring programme as the company seeks to reduce costs and improve its competitiveness.

According to the company’s statement, Aurelius and Lower Saxony plan to cooperate with Rafael Advanced Defense Systems as part of an initial project. The cooperation could involve the production of systems and components for air-defense equipment intended for Germany and other European countries.

Under a joint declaration of intent, Aurelius is expected to become the majority owner of the facility, while Lower Saxony will remain a co-owner. The German state is Volkswagen’s second-largest shareholder.

The proposed deal could also open the door to producing components for Israel’s Iron Dome air-defense system in Germany, according to media reports. However, the plans are still at an early stage and would require further negotiations and approvals.

An interesting aspect of the deal is the potential transformation of a traditional automotive factory into a defense-production facility. The move reflects a broader trend in Europe, where governments and industrial companies are looking for ways to expand defense manufacturing capacity and strengthen domestic supply chains.

The Osnabrck plant has traditionally been associated with vehicle production, making its possible conversion into a defense facility a notable example of how Europe’s industrial landscape is changing.

On September 9, the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum will open the “Legend of the Pomegranate” solo exhibition by Narmin Najaff.

The exhibition titled “The Legend of the Pomegranate” explores both the traditional semantics of the pomegranate-one of Azerbaijan’s ancient symbols-as established in painting and carpet art, as well as its potential for contemporary artistic expression.

In the Pomegranate Journey series, the recurring pomegranate motif acquires new meanings through changes in space, rhythm, and emotional nuances across different compositions, reflecting the dynamics of the artist’s thought and imagination.

In works such as Pomegranate Horse and The Horse of the Pomegranate, the image of the pomegranate is presented in interaction with other elements. This approach allows the pomegranate to emerge not merely as a decorative motif, but also as a symbolic image expressing the artist’s individual artistic vision.

Holding the exhibition at the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum creates a distinctive artistic dialogue between painting and carpet art. The exhibition also features works by the artist dedicated to religious and philosophical themes.

One of the exhibition’s highlights is a contemporary carpet woven in the Museum’s Traditional Technologies Department, based on motifs from one of Narmin Najaff’s works and a technical design by carpet artist Sevinj Aliyeva.

This work demonstrates the transition of the pomegranate motif from one artistic language to another and reveals its potential for contemporary artistic expression. Widely used in traditional Azerbaijani carpets featuring pomegranate motifs, the symbol is presented here in a new artistic interpretation through contemporary textures and three-dimensional means of expression.

The Legend of the Pomegranate demonstrates how a traditional symbol can acquire new meanings and forms of artistic expression in contemporary art.

The exhibition will run through September 13.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Sunday that there are no concrete plans for a trilateral meeting of President Vladimir Putin and the leaders of the United States and China, but stressed Moscow has not ruled out the possibility of such a summit.

“The idea exists, and it’s been floated, including into the public domain. To say it’s moving into the preparatory phase would be an exaggeration,” Rybakov stated in an interview with Russian agency TASS.

“But a trilateral format involving the leaders of Russia, China, and the United States hasn’t been implemented yet. I can’t rule anything out, of course. But from a practical standpoint, I have nothing to add today to what I just said,” he added.